My own Ninevah

It was my intent to walk away and wipe the dust of this board from my feet, but every time I pick up my bible, every time I pray, every time I get a note from another Christian, the message from the Lord is "it isn't time to leave yet." So, here I am again, against my own personal wishes.

I don't like anger, rage and strife. For the most part, I feel they are unChristian. I say for the most part because the bible shows us that Christ felt a little Christian rage once.

A few weeks ago I posted that I was concerned over the appearance that some people worship Paul rather than Christ. What I wrote that day was apparently not stated well because one statement I made caused some to think I felt it was "good" to ignore part of the bible.

I was trying to say the exact opposite. I was trying to say, do not ignore the majority of the bible just to preach Paul. It is not good to ignore any of the bible, and yet, the very people who responded to me in rage in that thread are the ones who were trying to justify ignoring huge portions of the bible.

1) I heard, "Paul is easier to preach."

When did the Lord promise a Christian, or any of His prophets, or Apostles, or Disciples an easy road to walk? Didn't He in fact tell us that it would be difficult? Didn't He warn us that the world would hate us? Where did you get the idea it was supposed to be easy?

2) I heard, "People don't understand the words of Christ."
Doesn't that mean they need to study and pray more over them? Doesn't that mean you should claim the promise from Christ that said if you hunger and thirst after righteousness you will be filled? Do you mean to tell me that modern day citizens of most of the nations you preach to, educated in great nations like the US, England, Australia, and Canada are less able to understand the message of Christ than simple jewish fishermen were over 1900 years ago?

3) I have heard some come very close to saying that certain parts, like the geneologies, don't matter.

I used to think that when I was a young Christian. If I couldn't understand it, if it seemed like "just numbers," or "pre-Christ history," I didn't really see how it mattered.

As I've continued to study God's word, I can tell you, there is not a single solitary word in the scripture that does not matter.

Read certain portions of the New Testament and you will see that Christ worked miracles and that many recognized Him as the Christ and the Messiah. Which is good. However, if you will also read the old testament you will see, probably with awe, how hundreds of years before Mary was born, God told us Christ would be born. You will see the amazing power of God as the prophecy is made, and then fulfilled, and you will probably be filled awe over God's omnipotence and authority, and a comfort in knowing His plan never fails.

Read the geneologies and you may think, "so what?" The what is what those geneologies mean. Those geneologies show so much more than family trees, folks! They show us how God consistently, over a span of thousands of years, has kept His promises. It shows us how, despite the gross misconduct and breech of trust on our part, He has forgiven people time and time again to uphold HIS promises, even if we DON'T uphold ours. It shows us that Christ DOES fulfill the prophecy, any way you cut it. One shows us that Christ is a descendant of the house of David via His stepfather. So that by Jewish law and tradition He is registered as a member of the house of David. The other shows us that He is a descendant of the house of David via His mother, so that even when we look to His real father, God Jehovah, the Great I Am, He is still of of the House of David.

They also, literally, show us the accuracy that went into the bible. You have to know a little about historical names and calendars, but armed with understanding you can follow the history of mankind through those things. You have to read the bible to do it though. Names change, and if you don't read your bible to know WHEN they change, you can make the mistake of thinking the bible is in error.

If all you ever study or all you ever teach is Paul - you are setting parts of the scripture above other parts. You are ignoring a tremendously large portion of God's holy word that HE chose to last the test of time.

The next time you start to "skip a part" of the bible for any reason ask yourself, why, of all that has been written in the world, did God make THIS part of the Holy scripture that is passed down from generation to generation? Why did God protect this from men like Nero and Joseph Stalin? What is in this that God wanted known in 2004?

And ask yourself, and God, what is in that section that Satan wants me to overlook?

 

Interesting reaction.

Inaccurate as well.

As to the comment you made;

Let us put this conversation in very basic, simplistic terms.

Do you, or do you not, believe that the entire word of God is important to man today and should be studied and taught today -

Or do you not?

I believe the entire Holy Bible is important and MUST be taught.

 

well, PastorSBC??? What says you?

 

*Shaking my head sadly.*

 

My intentions are in the original post of this thread - clarification.

My original thread was meant to encourage people to read ALL of God's word, as opposed to only studying the Paulian letters.

Some read that thread to mean, "don't study Paul," or "some parts of the bible matter, some don't."

Since that was not my intent, or my message - I felt it important to clarify the message - One should study ALL of God's word. One should teach ALL of God's word.

As to the other implications regarding intent.
You basically called me a liar with your words.

As I told you in PM, which you should have received at least an hour before your last post indicating you don't know my intent - I did not want to return to this board.

I really didn't. I don't like the anger, the rage, the posts like yours that automatically jump to the conclusion that everyone has ill intentions.

But when I prayed - the Lord kept putting this on my heart. Frankly - I ignored Him. Hence the reason I called this my Ninevah.

I studied my bible, and again, this was put on my heart. I was certain the Lord was making a mistake. I can feel the hate here, and like anyone else, I don't much care for hatred.

I opened my email and there were letters from people telling me the Lord told them to ask me to come back. I ignored those too.

Then I went to church on Sunday, and low and behold, my Pastor, who I doubt even knows this board exists - puts it on my heart.

I go to sleep at night, and I wake up finding myself in conversations with God about how ALL of His word is Holy. How its fine to say, "don't set scripture over scripture," IF you are really NOT doing that. But if you use that as an excuse to teach only from Paul, you ARE setting one above another.

Then I got a final letter from a total stranger that moved me, literally, to tears.

I still waited before I came back.

See - I don't LIKE dealing with things like your accusation that I have false intentions. I don't like coming to a place to talk about what an awesome God He is to find finger pointing and anger and accusations.

I don't like going to Ninevah.

But - I don't have to be swallowed by a whale to know that when God says to me, "Rome tried to destroy it, and I protected and preserved it. Heathens tried to change it, and I protected and preserved it. Stalin tried to wipe it out, and I protected and preseved it. They have banned it and burned it, and I have made it survive-why are you letting them ignore 75% of it," that He didn't mean for me to hide in my room so people would think "Wow. We really showed her!"

 

Billy Mac,

Thank you.

You are right in reminding me that I should not read tone where it might not be.

Thank you.

 

That is odd. I wrote it and hit send on it right after I asked you if you do or do not believe the whole bible needs to be taught.

 

To quote myself: I believe the entire Holy Bible is important and MUST be taught.